The old Sony TV Poll

David*P · 03-11-2004, 05:29 PM

So I don't know if any of you voted on the poll Sony had last year (http://www.sonypictures.com/cthe/tv/poll/) to vote on which of their shows you would like on DVD but I thought it was a pretty crappy poll. It seemed like they never told the results and just went with what they wanted instead of actually listening to the public. Plus they had you sign up to get the results and only send tons of email about pretty much everything Sony.

Do they have chats with HTF like WB did? I thought that was way cool even though I wasn't able to attend.

Anyway, from that poll here is what has happened as far as DVD is concerned.

Action- no but Sony is considering
Barney Miller - yes 1/04
Benson - no
Bewitched - 2005 but still not soon enough!
The Critic - yes 1/04
Designing Women - yes 9/03
Diff'rent Strokes - no
Dilbert - yes 1/04
Donny and Marie - no
The Facts of Life - no
The Flying Nun - no
Hart to Hart - no
I Dream of Jeannie - see answer to Bewitched
Just Shoot Me - yes 6/04
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman - no
Maude - no
The Nanny - no
Newsradio - TBA
One Day at a Time - no
Parker Lewis Can't Lose - no
The Partridge Family - yes 8/04
Route 66 - no
Silver Spoons - no
Soap - yes 9/03
Square Pegs - no
T.J. Hooker - no
The Tick - yes 9/03
V.I.P. - no
Werewolf - no
Who's the Boss - 6/04

David Williams · 03-11-2004, 10:04 PM

While it's true that Designing Women got a release, it was a best-of. Still waiting to hear how well it sold and if its sales were good enough for CTHE to put out a full S1 box set.

Kenny Goldin · 03-12-2004, 12:24 AM

Too bad about TJ Hooker. Anything with Bill Shatner is gold in my book.

(And Heather Locklear too!)

Mark To · 03-12-2004, 01:14 AM

Columbia DVD program poll should have these shows to vote on:

Gidget
Dennis the Menace
Donna Reed Show
Father Knows Best
Bridget Loves Bernie
Temperatures Rising
Paul Lynde Show
Love on a Rooftop
The Good Life
Hawk
Adventures of Rin Tin Tin
Farmer's Daughter
Girl with Something Extra
Camp Runamuck
Here Come the Brides
Hazel
Nancy
Occasional Wife
Second Hundred Years
Tightrope
Naked City (1/2 hour episodes)

Wake up Columbia, let's get some vintage stuff out there! I don't need Mad About You, Married with Children, etc. I already have them all.

David Levy · 03-12-2004, 03:09 AM

You might not need Married With Children or Mad About You, but most people only have seasons 1 & 2 of these shows, and would gladly (if they're fans of course) welcome more.

**HTF Ads**

Rob T · 03-12-2004, 08:46 AM

They did sort of tell us the results in a newsletter a long time ago.

I love The Tick: The complete Series.

Brian_FSullivan · 03-12-2004, 04:57 PM

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=410

Has the results. The Tick, Soap, Newsradio and Dilbert were the top 4 shows.

David*P · 03-12-2004, 05:11 PM

Thanks Brian.

I remember getting that email but I just don't see how Dilbert would've been one of the top five shows.......and that poll was for the top five shows but it only listed four shows "and others". Dilbert the comic strip is hilarious but the show just didn't appeal to me. But I guess that's just me....I would've thought that 'Parker Lewis Can't Lose' would've been the tops ones. I remember everybody loving that show.

Dane Marvin · 03-12-2004, 09:12 PM

I think the poll was a great idea and they did follow-up on their own website with the four winners -- three they've already made good on -- the fourth is coming after some delays.

Unfortunately, I have absolutely no interest in either Dilbert or the Tick. Why did the people vote on two shows that died speedy deaths and failed to live up to one-tenth of the greatness that the material which inspired them did (the comic strip and the cartoon series, respectively)?

Regardless of the poll winners, Columbia is releasing a lot of stuff. Give them time and they'll release even more. Perhaps more than they can handle. Anyone else think they may be biting off more than they can chew? I can't think of another studio that comes close to rivaling them in terms of TV show DVD series actively in production.

One big milestone for Columbia will be when this final Sanford & Son season hits shelves. It will mark the first multiple-release commitment series that Columbia has green-lighted that they saw all the way through to completion (5 seasons, 5 DVD releases). One-and-done 'complete series' releases such as The Critic, Dilbert & The Tick are excluded from my calculations, of course.

As long as DVD holds up as a format for several more years, I don't think we'll have to worry about whether or not Columbia will finish up the following series:

-All in the Family (a lock, one of the best-loved series of all-time)
-Married with Children (modern classic, good sales)
-The King of Queens (still a huge ratings winner for CBS)
-NewsRadio (very popular - a poll winner)
-Soap (because it was a poll winner & just a mere 3-release/season commitment)
-The Jeffersons (probably, anyway)

There are some I fear will (or already have!) fade away with no more than one or two releases:

-Barney Miller
-The Larry Sanders Show
-Mad About You
-What's Happening?

As for the more recent Columbia announcements, I think nostalgia points might earn us all 4 seasons of 'The Partridge Family', but does 'Who's the Boss?' have the momentum to be profitable to the tune of 8 times (8 releases/seasons)? That set could possibly tell marketing analysts whether or not other family shows like Growing Pains, Family Matters and Full House would be worth considering for DVD.

StacyV · 03-12-2004, 10:49 PM

Quote:

One big milestone for Columbia will be when this final Sanford & Son season hits shelves. It will mark the first multiple-release commitment series that Columbia has green-lighted that they saw all the way through to completion (5 seasons, 5 DVD releases).

Quote:

Soap (because it was a poll winner & just a mere 3-release/season commitment)

They haven't quite hit that milestone yet, Sanford & Son lasted 6 seasons. Soap was on for four years, though I do agree with you, I think we'll see the entire run of those two series on dvd. I'd like to think What's Happening is also a popular title, assuming a high demand is what prompted the move from a Time-Life distributed release last year to a retail release this year. There's only another two seasons of WH so I'd like to see that one completed as well.